Get Up!
by LBIGreyhound13
Summary: Oneshot. Sequel to "Come, My Son." Takes place during the fire scene in Bambi in the Great Prince's POV. Once the Great Prince learns that Bambi was separated from Faline when Man attacked, he rushes to find his son and lead him to safety.


**Author's Note:** Hello, my readers! I have returned! This oneshot is a sequel to my other Bambi fanfiction, _Come, My Son_. It takes place towards the end of _Bambi_ when the Great Prince finds Bambi (after he is shot by Man) when he tells him to get up and when they escape the fire together.

ENJOY!

P.S. _Bambi 2_ will be referenced and the story is once again in the Great Prince's POV.

 **Disclaimer:** I do NOT own _Bambi_ or _Bambi 2_. Disney does!

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Get Up!

The fire was spreading through the forest at a very fast rate. Animals of all kinds were running for their lives trying to find a good place to hide. I ran all over leading them as the smoke and flames continued to take over the forest and destroying it in the process. I managed to lead some of the animals in the forest to the lake where they all swam across to a small island for safety, but just when I was about to go myself, I heard a voice in the distance.

"Bambi! Bambi, where are you?" I heard a doe calling. I looked to see it was Faline, Bambi's mate. She was looking for Bambi?

The last time I saw him was at least a few hours ago when we both met up and found that Man has returned. I told him to follow me, but I quickly lost him. I assumed he went back for Faline, and I hadn't seen him since. I began to worry for my son. If he wasn't with his mate, then where was he? I quickly shook my worry off and went over to Faline.

"Faline!" I called out to her. I watched as her ears perked before she turned to look at me.

"Oh, Great Prince, thank goodness I found you!" she said coming over to me. "Have you seen Bambi? I can't find him anywhere!"

"Not since earlier today when we found Man in the forest. What happened?" I quickly asked her.

"We got separated when Man and his dogs came," she replied. "He saved me from the dogs and told me to run ahead of him. I thought he would be right behind me, but when I looked back, he was gone. I'm really worried about him!"

I felt my heart skip a beat as Faline told me what happened. Bambi was fighting against Man's dogs? I could not help but think back to when Bambi was only a fawn and fought against Man's dogs. I remembered watching one of the dogs close in on him about to kill him. However, Bambi managed to save himself and defeated the dog by kicking him off the cliff they were both standing on. I began to worry again. My son may have managed to save himself against the dogs before when he was only a fawn, but there was only one dog that he could not dodge. There must have been at least five or six that came after him and Faline. I didn't want to think about the possibilities of Bambi disappearing. I quickly composed myself. I knew what I had to do.

"Don't worry, Faline, I'll find him," I said. "In the meantime, you should go across the lake to that little island over there. You and the other animals will be safe from the fire."

"Uh…sir, with all due respect but…are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" Faline asked.

"Yes, I'm sure," I said. "Bambi would want you to be somewhere safe. He wouldn't forgive me if I brought you along."

Faline sighed. I was able to tell that this wasn't easy. "Alright, I just hope he's okay," she said.

"As do I, now, go quickly," I said to the young doe. She did what I ordered her to do and jumped into the lake swimming across. I immediately took off deeper into the forest to search for Bambi.

 _Please be alright, Bambi,_ I thought to myself as I ran through the burning forest as flames ate the trees and smoke rose into the sky. I looked all over for any signs of the young stag. There was still no sign of Bambi anywhere, but I refused to give up. I had to find Bambi and get him to safety. Not only was it my job as prince, but it was also my job…as a father.

"Bambi! Bambi, son, where are you?" I shouted through the forest over and over again. No matter how many times I tried, I could not get an answer from Bambi. So many questions ran through my mind. Where was Bambi? Was he hiding somewhere? Did the dogs get to him? Where was my son?

I wasn't sure how long it took me, but I came to an area in the forest that wasn't destroyed by the fire yet. However, it would not be long until the fire reached it. Smoke became thicker in the sky as the light from the flames became bigger by the second. I prayed to myself that I would find Bambi soon.

Suddenly, despite the overwhelming scent of the smoke, I managed to catch his scent. I felt so relieved when I realized that I was getting closer to him. I kept moving forward feeling my hope rise higher and higher. I came to a small clearing when I saw something in the middle. It was a little dark, but the light given off by the approaching flames showed me who it was. It was Bambi! I finally found my son! However, I stopped short when I realized that something was wrong with him.

He wasn't standing up. He was lying down and struggling to keep his head up. I walked closer to him. He didn't seem to notice me approaching him. I saw that one of his hind legs was bleeding a little. He was shot…by Man! Anger filled up inside of me. Man had actually tried to kill my son just as he killed my mate, Bambi's mother when he was a young fawn. I knew I had to keep my anger in check because at the moment my son needed me to help him, and the fire was getting closer to where we were.

"Get up, Bambi," I said to him still standing in my place. He slowly turned to look at me as if he was trying to believe that I was really there. I did not move toward him. I had to make sure that my son could stand on his own without me to help him. He was not a fawn anymore; despite how much I sometimes missed those days and found myself wishing we could go back to them, he was a buck now. "Get up," I said again.

He didn't say anything and struggled to stand on his four hooves…only to fall down again. Fear and worry coursed into my body yet again. Bambi was weakened from the gunshot wound. I was reminded of what happened to Bambi after he battled the dogs all those years ago…when he fell off the cliff and nearly died. I almost lost Bambi that night, and there was absolutely no way it was going to happen now. I couldn't let it. He had to keep trying. Bambi just had to get up on his hooves again.

"You must get up," I said. He kept trying and trying slowly struggling to get up again. I felt my heart break when I saw him struggling probably in a great deal of pain, but he was almost there. "GET UP!" I found myself yelling at him. "GET UP!" I didn't want to yell at him, but I had to get him up so I could help him get out of the forest. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he succeeded and managed to stand up again, and I quickly rushed over to him and let him lean on me for support.

When I was sure that he was strong enough to walk, I began to move ahead of him. "Now," I said looking back at him, "come with me."

I could feel the flames getting closer, so I walked faster hoping that Bambi could sense the urgency and find the willpower to pick up the pace. I looked behind me to see him trying with all his might to stay close, and concern made its way onto my face again. As much as I hated the idea of slowing down, I paused a moment to let him catch up and allowed him to lean on me for a moment.

"Hang in there, son," I said to him after a moment. "We just need to get to safety."

"O-Okay, Dad," Bambi replied with weakness in his voice as he tried to catch his breath. "H-Hey…Dad…thanks for coming for me…again…"

Despite our current situation, I smiled at him…my only son. "Of course, Bambi," I said. "No matter what, I will always come for you."

Before either of us could say any more, I perked my ears and sniffed the air when something diverted my attention from Bambi. The fire was getting closer and larger by the minute. I heard the flames crackling in the distance and smelled the smoke. If we didn't move soon, it was surely going to be difficult for us to get to safety, and the chances of us surviving would be minimal. We had to keep moving.

"What is it, Dad?" Bambi suddenly asked as he looked behind him. He gasped when he saw the flames inching toward us…as if they were following us.

"Quickly, Bambi!" I said firmly. "Follow me! And do not stop!"

Without responding, Bambi followed me closely as we took off running through the forest. As we ran through the forest, we found ourselves dodging the flames that snuck their way toward us and running through ashes that used to be the trees that stood tall above us every day. It was as if Man himself was chasing us trying to lead us into the traps he set in the forest. No words were spoken between us as my son and I ran for our lives, and I silently prayed…prayed to my mate... that Bambi and I would find a way out soon with her guidance.

Somehow, my mind drifted back to one conversation I once had with Bambi…when he was a little fawn. It was the one conversation that helped us to start bonding and becoming closer as father and son.

" _Wouldn't you be scared?" Bambi asked me._

" _Perhaps, but I would still run to them. A prince may be afraid, but he can't let fear stop him from acting."_

" _Wow…you know everything…"_

With that memory fading into the back of my mind, I ran faster silently urging Bambi to follow suit as trees that caught fire began to fall down behind us narrowly missing us. Soon enough, we came to the edge of a waterfall and stopped in our tracks, and as soon as we stopped, we both turned around to a horrifying sight. A tree was slowly tumbling down toward us ready to crush us.

"JUMP, BAMBI!" I shouted as I leapt off the edge of the waterfall. It was not long before my body met the water. I paddled to reach the surface of the water holding my breath, and then I finally breached taking a breath. I quickly looked around for any signs of my son hoping that he followed my order to jump into the water for safety. "BAMBI! BAMBI!" I shouted over the roaring waterfall.

Suddenly, a head breached coughing up water. "I'm here, Dad!" he replied.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

"I'm okay…I'm okay!" he replied.

"Good, follow me!" I shouted as I began to swim for the island that stood across the lake.

We both swam away from the waterfall in silence desperate to reach the land that would keep us safe from the destruction the fire wreaked on our forest. The island came into view under the red sky as Bambi and I reached shallow waters.

"Come, my son, we're nearly there," I said as my hooves touched the shallow surface. When I didn't hear a response, worry overcame me before I turned around to find Bambi staring at the fiery blaze behind us. I didn't have to try to figure out what he was thinking. I knew him all too well. Bambi had never experienced such an event before. Man might have taken his mother away from him, but a fire was a rarity to him. I could see him aching for the home he has known for his whole life.

"I can barely recognize it anymore," he finally said. "We will get to go back, right?"

"It will all grow back within time, Bambi," I replied. "It's like the seasons. When one thing falls…another grows."

"That's what Mother used to tell me."

I smiled to myself. "I'm so glad you're safe, son." I nuzzled his head.

"All thanks to you, Dad," he said as he nuzzled in return.

I chuckled as I pulled away. "You're welcome," he said. "Like I said, I will always be there for you, Bambi."

He smiled at me, and I found myself thinking back to when he smiled at me when I complimented him on his first jump. "Come, there's…someone else waiting for you," I finally said.

We said nothing more as we walked toward the island, and sure enough, Faline was standing there at the edge clearly looking for Bambi and I. As soon as she saw us, her ears perked up. I nodded to her as I moved away from Bambi to give him some alone time with his mate.

"Bambi…" she called to him.

My son wasted no time in rushing to his mate, and I could only watch as they reunited grateful that Bambi was safe and sound. Things seemed so different from the last time I came for him…when his mother was killed…compared to now when I came for him. We had grown so close after that night, and now, even when he was a grown buck with his own mate, we were still family. My son and I now had a bond that could never be broken.

THE END.

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 **Author's Note:** Well, that's a wrap! I really hope you guys enjoyed this oneshot! I might write another oneshot later if inspiration strikes me! Until then, don't forget to leave a favorite, follow, and a review! Thanks again, guys!


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